"It has been an honor to play here at Indiana, to grow as a human being, as a man and as a basketball player," Oladipo said, sitting at a table near midcourt at Assembly Hall. "But I'll be growing and going on and entering the NBA draft.

"To be an Indiana Hoosier means so much to me and I'll always be an Indiana Hoosier. This is my home. I love this place. I love the fans. I love the people.''

Oladipo leaves Indiana with 1,117 career points in three seasons and career averages of 10.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game. He ranks third in career steals with 161.

A first-team All-America selection by The Associated Press and the national co-defensive player of the year by the NABC, Oladipo said he will continue to work out at Indiana until he graduates May 4, his 21st birthday. He will earn a degree in three years in sport communication-broadcasting.

After that he will return home to Upper Marlboro, Md., and work out leading up to the June 27 NBA draft at Madison Square Garden in New York.

He said he had yet to sign with an agent. In fact, he said all he thought about during the season was trying to help his team win a national championship.

That dream ended nearly two weeks ago when Indiana dropped a 61-50 decision to Syracuse in the NCAA tournament's Sweet 16 in Washington, D.C.

"Until the season was over, I wasn't really focused on any of it,'' Oladipo said. "I was hearing stuff. I was realizing I had a good chance to go to the NBA, but I was really just focused on Indiana and wearing those candy stripes. I wasn't really worrying about anything else.

"That's how I felt right until the end of the year, when I felt like the best decision was to go."

Now, Indiana basketball fans await Wednesday's announcement from Cody Zeller regarding his future, according to a source in the program.

In a period of roughly 24 hours, Indiana could lose two players to the NBA. Most NBA mock drafts project Oladipo and Zeller to be selected in the top 14. Last year's 14th pick, John Henson, will receive $1.8 million this season.

Oladipo said he's not sure what his 7-foot sophomore teammate will do. He and Zeller have talked, but that wasn't discussed when Oladipo told his teammates of his decision in a team meeting Monday night.

"Cody is quiet anyways," Oladipo said. "He doesn't really say anything to anybody. We talked about it, I wished him good luck and I told him to keep working hard.''

Crean said he believed Oladipo would be NBA-bound following this season after his sophomore year. Crean said that was one of the reasons the Hoosiers over-signed in its upcoming recruiting class. With Oladipo's departure, Indiana is still over-signed by two players, pending Zeller's decision.

Crean constantly talks about Oladipo's work ethic, the hours he spends working on his game in the team's practice facility and in the film room. He said Oladipo's improvement as a shooter was remarkable.

His shooting improved from 47.1 percent as a sophomore to 59.9 percent this season. He more than doubled his 3-point shooting accuracy, from 20.8 to 44.1 percent.

"I could coach another 30 years - I won't - but I may never see another guy improve from one year to the next (like that)," Crean said. "That is astronomical improvement. But it wasn't mind blowing because we saw him every day. And even when we couldn't work with him, he did so many things to build his game.''

Crean said the NBA projections for Oladipo have been good.

"The feedback is very, very strong," Crean said. "Without being too specific, it has not been anything less than being a lottery selection. And that's just too hard to pass up."

One thing Indiana fans are robbed of with Oladipo's decision is his colorful, engaging personality, which made him a crowd favorite at Assembly Hall. There also won't be a song during Hoosier Hysteria in October or a speech on senior night.

Oladipo said he probably would have sung during his senior speech.

"I would have thanked a lot of people from coach Crean to the coaching staff to all the people who have helped me since I've been here,'' Oladipo said. "To the fans, definitely the fans, and the student body. The way they've supported me and been on this ride with us through our ups and downs. It would have been tough, just like it's tough to make a senior speech right now.

"But I definitely would have been very thankful for wearing those candy stripes and I'll always remember wearing those candy stripes and playing with those guys, and playing on this floor. I'll never forget it and I hope they never forget me."